Hey Good morning
And apologizes
Well, it looks like I've not been Birding. I've just birded my local patch the Clot de Galvany. If I didn't see anything of note or something different, I've not been bothered to write it up.
And with John Edwards back in the UK these last few weeks. And with the relentless heat, I have the feeling, that I've not missed too much.
Montnegra
Boom
As you know John Edwards, and I and our other Amigos have been following the progress of the breeding Trumpeters Finch in Montnegra. We've spent many hours and loads of visits to the different areas of this beautiful little Valley in 2022.
We've put the effort in, and sat there and preserved the 40-degree diablo heat. We already knew this year was a successful breeding season. But until today we didn't realize just how well this special little red-billed Finch had done.
Until now the highest number ever recorded at any one time was 10/11. ( not this year ) And so today there were at least 23 Trumpeters Finch perch on a fence, a mixture of mounting adult and juveniles and no sign of the 2 adult male ringed birds which would push it up to at least 25 birds. Interestingly the adult birds in general didn't mix with the juvenile birds they seem to be independent.
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| Trumpeters Finch |
Unbelievable
The Trumpeter Finch were flying around in close formation and contacting calling for most of the time, maybe they're getting ready to go?
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| 18 Trumpeters Finches |
It's so good when a plan comes together.
Today I thought we wouldn't connect with the Red-billed Trumpeter Finch's and I thought they would be long gone and moved south. And with that, mind I only took a short telephoto lens and travelled light and in a cockeyed way, I made the right choice, if I would have taken The Beast, my big lens, I would have never got the full flock perched in the photographs and prove just how many there are.
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| Juvenile Back eared Wheatear |
And with our dater collected, photographs, leg ring number, and the help from Malcolm Palmer (CBBC) Alicante University, we will in due course produce a paper on the breeding status of the not-so-Elusive Trumpeter Finch.
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| Juvenile Back eared Wheatear |
Other birds seen today are a beautiful juvenile Back eared Wheatear, Black Wheatear, Spot Fly, Blue Rock Thrush, a very early returning Black Redstart, Red-rumped Swallow, House Martin, Grag Martin, 2 Juvenile Woodchat Shrike, and a mounting Adult. Swallows, Bee-Eaters, Alpine Swift, Pallid Swift's, and 2 distant Golden Eagle's
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| Juvenile Bee-Eater |
To me, it looks like things are on the move and migration the other way south has begun.
Brilliant days birding, great views of the birds
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| Juvenile Woodchat Shrike |
Smashed It
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| Trumpeters Finch |
Thanks to all, you know who you are, and who has helped make the Trumper Finch the successful story It is. Without you and your perseverance and effort, we couldn't have ever made so much progress on the status of Trumpeter Finch at Montnegra and so a big thank you.
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| Golden Eagle A long way off for my little telephoto lens |
Cheers Bryan
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